Need You To Need Me | Jenlisa

XXXII.

It was raining outside so Jennie had decided to take a taxi there. She had thought about asking Sebastian to take her instead but she couldn't risk her parents finding out about where she was.Or rather, who she was with.

She payed the driver in cash and, when he was taking his sweet time giving her the rest, she shrugged and told him to keep it before making the way to the apartment complex. The less she stayed outside, the less probability she had of people seeing her.

The entrance was regulated by a two factor identification. Before ringing, a code popped up in her mind. She slowly inserted it, not expecting much out of it. After all it had been at least a year since she had last been there, it'd be impossible that...
A metallic sound followed by a soft buzz startled her. The door had opened. What shocked her wasn't that she still remembered the code, but that it hadn't been changed.

Hit by a wave of familiarity, she rapidly inserted the second code that separated her from the inside of the complex. Another click and another buzz followed. This time the door was heavier.

Waiting for the elevator to arrive, Jennie inhaled deeply. The hall still smelled like bleach and a flowery deodorant, probably used to cover up the first smell.

As soon as she got in, she pressed the button for the twenty first floor. When the doors closed, she found her reflection staring back at her. She watched her face carefully. She couldn't recognize herself. If her reflection had winked back at her, she wouldn't be surprised but relieved. Because that wasn't her. That couldn't be her.
When did her eyes become so black and lifeless? When did she start looking so... dull?

A sudden ding woke her senses up again. She made her way down the long hallway only to stop in front of a dark green door: Apartment 2341.

After she had come home from school, still shaken up, she had tried to put together the most "adult" outfit she could from her closet. For a second she had thought about borrowing something from her mum's closet but then she had discarded the idea just as rapidly. Looking like her mother was probably the last thing she had wanted.

The gray cigarette pants she was wearing, along with her turtle neck and Burberry trench coat probably gave her an elegant aura. But there was no way she looked one day older than her actual age.

Sighing, she knocked on the door.

"I didn't think you'd actually come"

A tall girl with brunette hair was staring down at her. She looked like she had just come back from work; her slightly unbuttoned silk blouse and the scattered heels just next to her feet proved Jennie right.

"Well, I did." Jennie said before glancing at the inside of the apartment and saying "Can I come in?".

The other girl looked startled for a second but she soon stepped aside and let the shorter girl in.

She had wanted to say something along the lines "It's not like you'd take no for an answer" but was quick to bite her tongue. If Jennie was there, there must have been a reason.

Jennie stood in the middle of the living room, taking in the space with her purse still in her hands. She didn't look uncomfortable or unfamiliar with the ambient. Rather, she looked like she had just been away for a bit and just got back home.

The taller girl took a few steps until she was right behind Jennie. She didn't speak. She didn't need to. She gently motioned for the shorter girl to let her take her coat. Jennie complied.

"You know" the other girl finally said. Her voice sounded distant from the kitchen she was standing in. From the glass noises, it sounded like she was preparing something to drink for the both of them. "You once told me: old keys can't open new doors. I guess you were wrong about that one"